Description:
The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship program will provide one scholarship for full tuition, required fees, and a special allocation of up to $900 per year for required books and required equipment for four years of undergraduate study on a full-time basis, leading to a baccalaureate degree at any Indiana public or private college or university accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges.
Selection of scholarship finalists is based on an initial application score of 60 points. The scoring breakdown is as follows:
- Academic Achievement and Preparation- 20 points
- Activities, Leadership, Volunteerism, and Work Experience- 20 points
- Essay Responses- 20 points
If you are selected as a finalist, you will be required to appear before the Montgomery County Community Foundation Board of Directors for an interview worth a maximum of 40 points. Independent Colleges of Indiana will make the final scholarship selection and may award one scholarship to a Montgomery County student.
Requirements:
3.85+ GPA, Top 10% of graduating class, Indiana college
AVAILABLE:
August 1, 2023
DEADLINE:
August 31, 2023, 5:00 p.m.
Hear From Our 2023 Lilly Endowment Community Scholar:
“I am so grateful and honored to be this year’s Montgomery County Lilly Endowment Scholar. This scholarship will give me the opportunity of a lifetime and I am forever grateful for it. As I look back, I realize that I could not have achieved this without the amazing teachers, friends, family, advisors, and the Montgomery County Community Foundation. Though I am still undecided where I want to go, I am excited to study biomedical and biological engineering and one day become a medical researcher. Once again, I am truly blessed and thankful for this great honor. I will always strive to show the same kindness I have receive from this great community."
- Gabriel Little, 2023 Lilly Endowment Community Scholar | Southmont High School
Criteria
- Be a graduate in good standing of a public Montgomery County High School, Montgomery County, Indiana, by the end of June of the year in which the application is filed
- Been accepted to pursue a full-time baccalaureate course of study at an accredited public or private college or university in Indiana
- Be a current resident of Montgomery County, Indiana, and have lived in Montgomery County, Indiana, since August of 2021
- You must be ranked in the top 10% of your graduating class and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.85 on a scale of 4.00 after six (6) semesters or nine (9) trimesters
- Must have completed a minimum of six (6) semesters or nine (9) trimesters by the application deadline to be eligible to apply for the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship
- You are not eligible to apply for the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship if you are an immediate family member of anyone who is currently serving on the Board of Directors, Scholarship Committee, or Staff of the Montgomery County Community Foundation. Immediate family includes one's spouse, parents and grandparents, children and grandchildren, brothers and sisters, mother-in-law and father-in-law, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, daughters-in-law and sons-in-law. Adopted, half, and step members are also included in immediate family.
Be prepared to answer the following (500 word maximum):
- Write a personal statement that addresses the following questions:
- What do you intend to study in college?
- Identify intended major, minor and degree sought
- If undecided, share where your interests tend to lie and describe how you are exploring possibilities
- What career to you expect to be prepared for once you attain your degree and what plans, if any, do you have for post graduate studies?
- What has inspired you to take this path?
- Academic achievement aside, what personal qualities do you feel suit you for this career?
Be prepared to answer one of the following essay questions (500 word maximum):
- The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
- Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
- Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
